Lubricating device



Jun "24, @924. 1,499,142

R. E. BAKER ET AL .LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed April 16 1921 I 1.1 n g M 10 INVENTORS 15 Zaierf 173cm V A TTORNEY.

Patented June 224, 1924i.

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ROBERT BAKER, (3F BRONXVILLE, AND LAURENCE SEYMQUR HAZBJBER, -01? KATONAH, KEV] YORK, ASSIGNORS TO JOSEPH BAKER .SO'INS & PERKINS CDIMPANY, INCL, OF WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION .OF NEW YORK.

LUBRICATING DEVICE.

Application filed April 16, 1921. .Serial No. 461,872.

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT ELMER BAKER and LAURENCE SEYMOUR HARBER, both subjects of the King of Great Britain,

and residents, respectively, of Bro'nxville and of Katonah, both in the county of VV-estchester and State of New York, have jointly invented certain new and useful Tmprovements in Lubricating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to devices for lubricating rollers, and particularly those that form part of roller chains of conveyors or other mechanisms. The object of our invention is to insure a thorough distribution of the oil or other lubricant, so

to obtain a smooth and almost frictionless running of the parts.

Two preferred and satisfactory embodi ments of our present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

In said drawings, Fig. 1 is a partial elevation of a conveyor chain to which our invention is applied;

Fig.2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical, section on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4 l of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a detail end view of one of the pivot pins of the chain and of the bushing fitted on said pin, according to the construction shown in Fig. 2. r j

A. designates a wall or other support, and B a track secured thereto, the rollers of the chain being adapted to travel on said track. The particular chain illustrated comprises pivot pins 10, pairs f links 11 at a relatively considerable distance. from each other and mounted on said pin directly, and pairs of links 12 set closer together than the links 11, so that adjacent ends of the links 11 will embrace the ends of the links 12, as seen best in Figs. 2 and 4t. The links 12 are not in direct engagement with the pivot pins 10, but with bushings which are mounted loosely on said pivot pins.

The links 12 are connected with the bushings in such a way that no relative movement or" these parts is possible. For instance, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, the bushing 13 is made with ends 13" having flattened portions, or of any other noncircular shape, and the links 12 of course will have openings of a corresponding non-circular shape; thus, the bushing 13 will be held to turn in unison with the links 12 engaged by'it, as where the conveyor chain passes around sprockets, curved guides, etc. The bushing has an oil hole 13" shown midway between the links 12, and leading from the outside of the bushing to the cylindrical surface of the pin 10. WVhen the links 12 and the bushing 13 are connected as just described, so that they are incapable of turning relatively to each other, the oil hole 13 will always occupy the same position relatively to the links 12 and to the track or guide B, that is, as illustrated, they will always be on the side facing away from the guide. chain passes over a horizontal portion of the guide or track B, as illustrated, the oil holes 13". will be held in .an upwardlyfacing position, thus facilitating the feed of the oil by gravity through said holes'to the cylindrical surfaces of the pivot pins 10. These pins may have heads-at one side and flattened or other non-circular portions 10 at the opposite ends, to fit into c0rre spondingly-shaped non-circular openings of the corresponding links 11, so as to prevent the pins 10 from turning relatively to the links 11. Cotter pins 14 are employed to properly hold the parts in the assembled condition, or any other suitable construction may be employed for the chain proper. in Figs. 4 and 5 the connection of the pin ends Thus, at points where the w 10 with the links 11 is the same as in Figs.

2, 3 and 6, but the bushing 13 is shown with cylindrical ends, and. is to be understood as fitted tightly into the ends of the links 1.2, so as to prevent the bushing from turningrelatively to the links 12, and hold the oil hole 13". facing in a definite direction, that is to say, upwardly at those points or stretches where the chain runs over a horizontal or approximately horizontal track portion. 7

On the bushings 13 or 13 are mounted to turn the rollers which run on the track or guide B. These rollers are held against axial movement, or at least restricted in this direction, in any suitable manner, for instance, by extending their hubs close to the inner links 12.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the roller 15 is provided with a centrally located chamber, in the plane of, and generally in registry with, the oil hole 13", and with radial partitions or guide ribs 15 e2; ending across said chamber, so that radial passages 15 are formed between said ribs. These ribs are narrow at their outer ends and first increase in width or thickness inwardly, to then become narrower again. The inner ends of the ribs are of cylindrical curvature, and are in contact with the cylindrical outer surface of the bushing 13. In this particular construction the ribs are of lenticular cross section, thus having convex front and rear surfaces for. guiding the oil inwardly to the outer surface of the bushing 13 and to the oil hole 13. 1 Oil is supplied from a stationary pipe 16 the discharge end of which is located close to the path of the rollers periphery in a vertical plane situated centrally between the links 12, and therefore, in proper relation to the passages 15 and to the oil holes 13.

As oil drops fall from the pipe 16 on the ribs 15, at the time a roller 15 passes under the outlet of said pipe,-the oil will be guided by the rib 15 (see'Fig. 3) to the outer surface of the bushing 13 so that this surface will be lubricated thoroughly, it being understood thatthe' oil will also spread from the inner ends of the passages 15 toward the links 12. As the roller 15 rotates on the bushing 13, the inner ends of the ribs 15 will also sweep some of the oil to points immediately above the oil hole 13, so that oil will pass down into said hole, thus reaching the cylindrical surface of the pivot pin 10, at its central portion, such oil of course also spreading lengthwise of the pin in both directions, so as to lubricate its entire bearing surface in contact with the bushing.

In the construction illustrated by Figs. 4c and 5, the'oil hole 13", the lubricant-supplying passages 15 of the roller 15, and

the discharge end of the stationary oil pipe 16 are not located in the central plane of the roller, 'but near one end thereof. The ribs 15 therefore do not, as it were, connect two parts or halves of the roller, as inv Figs. 1,2 and 3, but project fron one end of the roller. The ribs 15 are shown more numerous and closer together thanthe ribs 15, and of a cross section having flat side surfaces instead of curved (convex) sides, but the effect is similar, since the ribs 15 are narrow at their outer ends, then wider or thicker inwardly, and finally narrow again toward their inner ends curved cylindrically to engage the bushing 13 In the particular arrangement illustrated by Fig. 5, the inner portions of the passages 15 are of uniform width. The operation is practi cally the same as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In each of the constructions, the ribs 15 and 15 respectively narrow substantially to a point at their outer ends so that the aggregate circumferential width of the outer ends of the oil passages will be substantially 360, with the advantage that oil dripping from the pipes 16 or 16 will at once reach one of said oil passages.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the nature of our invention as set forth in the appended claims.

VVe claim:

1. A roller chain the rollers of which are provided with guides spaced to form lubricating passages extending inwardly froin' the periphery of each roller, the aggregate circumferential width of the outer ends of said passages being substantially 360.

2. A roller chain the rollers of which are provided with radial ribs forming lubricating passages between them, said ribs narrowing substantially to a point at their outer ends, whereby the aggregate circumferential .width of the outer ends of said passages will be substantially 360.

3. A roller chain the rollers of which are provided with radial ribs forming lubricating passages between them.

4;. A roller chain the rollers of which are provided with radial ribs forming lubricating passages between them, said ribs being widest between their ends, and narrowing both inwardly and outwardly from' such widest portions.

5. A roller chain the rollers of which are provided with radial ribs forming lubricating passages between them, said ribs having convex front and rear surfaces.

6. A, roller chain having links and pivot pins, bushingsmounted on said pins and ROBERT ELMER BAKER. V LAURENCE SEYMOUR HABBER. 

